Rafael Benítez believes Chelsea will still rival Manchester United and Manchester City for the Premier League title, with the interim manager confident that a victory over Corinthians in the Club World Cup final on Sunday will inject conviction into his squad.

Chelsea will take on the imposing Copa Libertadores winners here, by which time United could have stretched their lead over third place to 13 points by defeating Sunderland at Old Trafford. That advantage could be extended further by the time the London club next kick a ball in the Premier League, against Aston Villa next Sunday. Yet Benítez can call upon the revival he instigated at Valencia in 2004, when his team recovered late to overhaul Real Madrid, as evidence of what such momentum can achieve.

"People tell me that it's a two-horse race but, realistically, if you win two or three games in a row then you have more confidence," Benítez said. "If we win here and play like we did against Monterrey [in the semi-final], good football with the quality we have going forward and the right balance in defence, this team can go on to win games in a row easily. How many? I don't know. But if you win three or four in a row, confidence will be so high.

"At Valencia we were well behind, eight points down in January or February, but I told the players that they would go on to win the league. The way we trained was key. And, with the way we train here, I'm confident we will be better and better every single week. I haven't had time to tell the players here the same, but when I talk to the players I can see in their faces they have the belief. They know that what we are doing, the roles and the movements [we're asking them to work on in training], is all working. If, against Aston Villa next week, we can reproduce the same levels we have been, they will start building this confidence."

Victory against Corinthians would secure silverware within a month of the Spaniard's surprise appointment – albeit qualification for the Club World Cup was secured by Roberto Di Matteo's success last season – and the players are intent upon making their 6,000-mile journey to the other side of the globe worthwhile. "The feeling is we haven't completed the job," said Juan Mata. "We came out here to win the tournament, and we want to be world champions.

"We know Corinthians are one of the best teams in South America, so we will have to play at our best level if we are going to win the game. The football we produced in the semi-final against Monterrey was the type the manager has told us he wants to see. But, having come out here, so far, we are only halfway there. Now we have to finish the job."